Malaysia to roll out Esna Venere sports car in 2006
By ZURAIMI ABDULLAH
March 17 2005
ESNA Venere. That’s the name of the indigenous sports car that will put Malaysia among the elite league of nations that produce super cars.
Little-known Enasports Sdn Bhd plans to roll out the Venere next year with a limited production of 150 units, to be handcrafted from a site in Selangor.
Its price should be in the range of RM500,000 to RM800,000, with about 20 bookings having been made to date, said Esmail Naziadin, owner of Esnasports.
The full-scale, clay model of the 3-litre supercar was shown to journalists yesterday.
“Next year is the target set for the first production model to roll of the assembly line. We are planning to take a production prototype to the next Geneva Motor Show in 2006,” Esmail told a press conference after the unveiling of the Venere by Tan Sri Basir Ismail in Kuala Lumpur.
Plans are also in the pipeline to put the Venere to the test in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race.
“It may sound unbelievable but the car you see was conceptualised, sketched, modeled and finalised in just five months by a very small group of people,” said Enasport spokesman Major (Rtd) Datuk Zainuddin Che Din.
While only the engine and transmission unit will be sourced from overseas, all the design and engineering work of the Venere was done here by Malaysians, Zainuddin said.
Esmail said the Venere and any future models from Enasports will have a limited production run of 150 units.
Six years ago, Esmail began dabbling in the motor business, restoring classic cars. Only five months ago did he start thinking seriously about developing a Malaysian sports car that could take on the world’s best.
He found qualified stylist, model makers, engineers, painters and parts manufacturers who were willing to assist his mission.
Carbon fibre composite is the main material for the Venere, allowing the car to tip the scales at 1,080kg. The projected top speed is 300km an hour.
